A YORK-based firm has been approved as an alternative business structure (ABS) and been granted a probate licence by the specialist property law regulator, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, CLC.

Private client firm Pavilion Row are also one of only 52 Society of Trust & Estate Practitioner, or STEP-accredited employer partners, worldwide.

They provide private client services such as wills, powers of attorney and probate and estate administration services to financial professionals and networks, accountants and non private clients solicitors throughout England and Wales.

Pavilion Row’s team of advisers include solicitors and chartered legal executives, all of whom are STEP qualified, which means that they are some of the most experienced and qualified in this area of work.

Their approach, working largely with and through intermediaries, is easy to access and underpinned by qualified advice with known fixed or capped fees prior to commitment.

Managing director Angus Houston said this was a “significant milestone in the growth of the firm”.

“Dealing with wills and probate are both areas where it is important to have knowledge, as well as sensitivity and the ability to work with people at a personal level.

“Through our STEP qualified advisers our clients get access to knowledgeable and experienced individuals who are already subject to various codes of conduct. Our new status gives our customers even more protection through both the Legal Ombudsman and a compensation fund. We chose the CLC as we felt we could form a strong working relationship with them and they seemed to take a broader view of alternative style firms than other regulators.”

Stephen Ward, Director of Strategy and External Relations at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers said: “The Council for Licensed Conveyancers sets high standards of client protection, beginning with the rigorous process for approving the entry of a new firm into regulation. We monitor firms closely year-round through data and intelligence from the firm itself and third parties and this is especially intensive during a firm’s early years in CLC regulation. We also carry out inspection visits. Very importantly, we work closely with the firms we regulate to address any issues as they arise and so take proactive steps to prevent risks to clients.”